Ariston Group announced it has hired Ben Capra as regional sales manager of water heating for the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West.

Capra, a graduate of Florida State University, brings more than a decade of experience in sales of plumbing and heating equipment. His region includes Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico. Ariston Group’s brands include Ariston, NTI, HTP and American Standard Water Heaters.

"When Ariston acquired HTP and American Standard Water Heaters, that was a big signal to the industry that Ariston was committed to the North American market,’’ Capra said. “By aligning with those high-performance brands, everyone started to pay more attention to Ariston and its range of products.”

“Ariston’s depth of experience, especially with heat pumps, sets it apart from other manufacturers in the water heating marketplace,’’ Capra explained. “A lot of other manufacturers are now pivoting toward heat pump technology. Ariston has been refining these systems in Europe for decades. We’re bringing something that’s already mature, developed, battle-tested and ready to go.”

Capra is one of several water heating Regional Sales Managers for Ariston, and reports to Mike Sokaris, vice president of sales for water heating. 

"Ben’s a terrific addition to our team and will be an important team member in these vital markets,’’ Sokaris said. “States like Oregon, Washington and Colorado are driving change in the demand for new water heating technologies, and we’re excited to have Ben represent our brand in this important region of the nation.”

Capra emphasized his goal is to develop partnerships with distributors and contractors and work together in identifying water heating solutions. “My goal is to be the most responsive and resourceful partner that they have,’’ Capra said.